Graylog vs VMware Aria Operations for Logs comparison

Graylog and VMware are both solutions in the Log Management category. Graylog is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.0, while VMware is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.2. Graylog holds a 6.5% mindshare in Log Management, compared to VMware’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Graylog users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of VMware users who would recommend it.

Graylog

Read 21 Graylog reviews

9,223 Views
9,223 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

VMware Aria Operations for ...

Read 28 VMware Aria Operations for Logs reviews

2,187 Views
2,165 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Graylog

VMware Aria Operations for ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

VMware Aria Operations for Logs and Graylog are products in the log management sector. VMware Aria Operations for Logs appears more favorable in deployment and customer service, while Graylog demonstrates competitiveness based on pricing and features.

Features: VMware Aria Operations is noted for comprehensive integration capabilities, seamless data aggregation, and in-depth analysis. Graylog offers open-source flexibility, real-time analysis capabilities, and the ability to extensively customize and scale solutions. Graylog also shows adaptability in complex environments.

Room for Improvement: VMware Aria Operations could improve reporting tools, enhance configuration processes, and provide a more intuitive interface. Graylog users highlight the need for better technical documentation, quicker support response times, and smoother installation experiences. Graylog receives more specific feedback on documentation compared to VMware’s usability focus.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware Aria Operations provides an easier deployment process and consistent customer support. Graylog is seen as requiring more technical expertise for setup, with variable support experiences. VMware's team is perceived as more responsive.

Pricing and ROI: VMware Aria Operations has higher initial costs but offers value through its features and stability, contributing to positive ROI. Graylog's pricing models are competitive but may need further investments for customization, influencing ROI differently, yet it's considered cost-effective for scalable deployments.

To learn more, read our detailed Graylog vs. VMware Aria Operations for Logs Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Graylog vs. VMware Aria Operations for Logs

July 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 862,514 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Graylog

Ranking in Log Management

15th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

VMware Aria Operations for ...

Ranking in Log Management

12th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Graylog is 6.5%, up from 5.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Aria Operations for Logs is 1.3%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Log Management

Featured Reviews

Ivan Kokalovic

DevOps Engineer at Proton Technologies

Facilitates backend service monitoring with efficient log retrieval and API flexibility

Graylog is valuable because it bridges technical knowledge to non-technical teams, presenting complex backend processes in a simple timeline. It boosts the knowledge of sales and customer support teams by allowing them to see the backend operations without needing to read the code. Its API is flexible for visualization, and its powerful search engine efficiently handles large volumes of log data. Moreover, its stability, fast search capabilities, and compatibility with languages like ANSI SQL enhance its utility in IT infrastructure.

Read full review

LarsChristensen

Advisory Solution Consultant at ServiceNow

Efficient troubleshooting with precise log filtering and an easy setup

The tool could benefit from improved filter settings and dashboarding. While there are dashboards available, they are often created by community members and may not work after updates. It would be beneficial to have a roadmap for these dashboards to ensure consistent functionality. It would also be advantageous if the tool could process even large amounts of data faster, though this may be more related to data movement challenges rather than the software itself.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Graylog is very handy."

"We have scaled from a single machine installation (a VM with a Graylog + ES + MongoDB) to (2 Graylog + 2 ES + 3 MongoDB). This was done smoothly with a minimal impact on logging."

"I like the correlation and the alerting."

"The best feature of Graylog is the Elasticsearch integration. We can integrate and we can run filters, such as an event of interest, and those logs we can send to any SIEM tool or as an analytic. Additionally, there are clear and well-documented implementation instructions on their website to follow if needed."

"We're using the Community edition, but I know that it has really good dashboarding and alerts."

"What I like about Graylog is that it's real-time and you have access to the raw data. So, you ingest it, and you have access to every message and every data item you ingest. You can then build analytics on top of that. You can look at the raw data, and you can do some volumetric estimations, such as how big traffic you have, how many messages of data of a type you have, etc."

"The ability to write custom alerts is key to information security and compliance."

"It is used as a log manager/SIEM. It provides visibility into the infrastructure and security related events."

More Graylog pros

"It gives the customer a quick overview, so they don't have to dig. There's a clear dashboard with many sensors in a single space. He gets a helicopter view of his environment, but he can investigate further if there are serious issues. It's pretty user-friendly."

"It is very scalable and can handle a large workload."

"Overall, I would recommend VMware Aria Operations for Logs because it is a good tool with many valuable features."

"It is a very useful tool if you have a VMware environment."

"The ability to narrow into a specific time to filter heavy hitters and anomalies is extremely valuable."

"vRealize Log Insight has been running without any issues."

"The interface of the solution is good."

"One of the most valuable features of vRealize Log Insight is that it gives you a clear forecast about your existing machines, for example, how long your machines could be supported and how long the remaining capacity is to host your machines. This is one of the best options available within vRealize Log Insight. Another valuable feature of the solution is automation. My company deploys a lot of automation when required in a very, very short period, and in a very uniform manner, and even if the automation is being deployed for different processes and departments, it's pretty much the same across the environment, so vRealize Log Insight helps reduce a lot of ambiguities and helps my company manage operational efficiencies well."

More VMware Aria Operations for Logs pros

Cons

"Over six months, I had two similar issues where searches were performed on field "messages". It exhausted all the memory of the ES node causing an ES crash and a Graylog halt."

"When it comes to configuring the processing pipeline, writing the rules can be very tedious, especially since the documentation isn't extensive on how the functions provided for these rules work."

"Graylog could improve the process of creating rules. We have to create them manually by doing parses and applying them. Other SIEM solutions have basic rules and you can create and get more events of interest."

"Since container orchestration systems are popular and Graylog fits the niche well, perhaps they could officially support running in docker containers on Kubernetes as a StatefulSet as a use case. That way, the declarative nature of Kubernetes config files would document their best case deployment scenario-"

"Graylog needs to improve their authentication. Also, the fact that Graylog displays logs from the top down is just ridiculous."

"I would like to see a default dashboard widget that shows the topology of the clusters defined for the graylog install."

"The area in Graylog that needs to be improved or enhanced would be the integrations."

"We ran into problems with Elasticsearch throwing a circuit-breaking exception due to field data size being too large. It turned out that the heap size directly impacted this size in a high-throughput environment, causing unexplained instability in Graylog. We were able to troubleshoot on the Elasticsearch size, but we should have been able to reference some minimum requirements for Graylog to know that our settings weren't sufficient."

More Graylog cons

"I would like to see more tutorials or at least an introduction video from the supplier, so you can become proficient and get the most out of the solution. You might not get the full benefit from a logging or reporting solution because you might not have a particular tool enabled. You could leave something out of your analysis because you aren't aware of it or you don't know how to set it up."

"If data migration occurs during a search, it alters performance, causing delays."

"The tool does not provide a centralized pane for monitoring."

"VMware Aria Operations for Logs is not a cost-effective tool. Additionally, it is expensive, especially given the current economic conditions in Turkey."

"Technical support should be improved."

"The product's price falls on the higher end of the spectrum, making it an area of concern."

"In vRealize login files, we have limitations regarding log partitions."

"The tool is expensive."

More VMware Aria Operations for Logs cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If you want something that works and do not have the money for Splunk or QRadar, take Graylog."

"You get a lot out-of-the-box with the non-enterprise version, so give it a try first."

"It's an open-source solution that can be used free of charge."

"There is an open source version and an enterprise version. I wouldn't recommend the enterprise version, but as an open source solution, it is solid and works really well."

"I am using a community edition. I have not looked at the enterprise offering from Graylog."

"We are using the free version of the product. However, the paid version is expensive."

"Consider Enterprise support if you have atypical needs or setup requirements."

"I use the free version of Graylog."

More Graylog pricing and cost advice

"It is not cheap. But it is worth it."

"Pricing could always be lower. If it were free, I would be more satisfied."

"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"The pricing has been updated recently."

"The product's price is reasonable, but when it comes to SQL licensing, it's a bit expensive."

"The license cost for any other monitoring tool is too high compared to this product."

"I am not sure what the exact cost is. However, I believe the vRealize suite costs $2,500.00 per year."

"I think it is a reasonably priced product."

More VMware Aria Operations for Logs pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Log Management solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

862,514 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Government

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Graylog?

The product is scalable. The solution is stable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Graylog?

I am not familiar with the pricing details of Graylog, as I was not responsible for that aspect. It was determined that we didn't need an enterprise plan, which is more suited for clients with less...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Graylog?

An improvement I would suggest is in Graylog's user interface, such as allowing for font size adjustments. A potential enhancement could be the integration with Ollama to run large language models ...

See all answers

What do you like most about vRealize Log Insight?

The events are notably more descriptive, aiding in security and event analysis. We've also integrated Sky Collector, providing valuable insights and solutions for troubleshooting.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for vRealize Log Insight?

The cost of using VMware Aria Operations for Logs was very high, around two to three million dollars, although the exact figure is uncertain. The price was proving to be too much, especially with t...

See all answers

What needs improvement with vRealize Log Insight?

VMware Aria Operations for Logs is not a cost-effective tool. Changing any telemetry requires creating a new template, such as changes to the VM disk size. Always having to create a new template ma...

See all answers

Comparisons

Grafana Loki vs Graylog

Compared 35% of the time

Wazuh vs Graylog

Compared 25% of the time

syslog-ng vs Graylog

Compared 11% of the time

Security Onion vs Graylog

Compared 6% of the time

Cribl vs Graylog

Compared 1% of the time

More Graylog Competitors

Elastic Stack vs VMware Aria Operations for Logs

Compared 16% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs VMware Aria Operations for Logs

Compared 15% of the time

Grafana Loki vs VMware Aria Operations for Logs

Compared 11% of the time

LogRhythm SIEM vs VMware Aria Operations for Logs

Compared 11% of the time

Elastic Security vs VMware Aria Operations for Logs

Compared 7% of the time

More VMware Aria Operations for Logs Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Graylog

July 2025

Download Graylog product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware Aria Operations for Logs

June 2025

Download VMware Aria Operations for Logs product report

Also Known As

Graylog2

vRealize Log Insight

Overview

Graylog is purpose-built to deliver the best log collection, storage, enrichment, and analysis. Graylog is:

Considerably faster analysis speeds.
More robust and easier-to-use analysis platform.
Simpler administration and infrastructure management.
Lower cost than alternatives.
Full-scale customer service.
No expensive training or tool experts required.

Graylog

Manage data at scale with centralized log management, deep operational visibility and intelligent analytics for troubleshooting and auditing across private, hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

VMware

Sample Customers

Blue Cross Blue Shield, eBay, Cisco, LinkedIn, SAP, King.com, Twilio, Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Wildlands Adventure Zoo, Medic Mobile, IBM, Seventy Seven Energy, Baystate Health, Osis, Oxford University, Columbia University, Siemens, Cardinal Health, Ashdod Port, Vasakronan, Sydney Adventist Hospital, University of Derby

Buyer's Guide

Graylog vs. VMware Aria Operations for Logs

July 2025

Free Report: Graylog vs. VMware Aria Operations for Logs

Find out what your peers are saying about Graylog vs. VMware Aria Operations for Logs and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

862,514 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Graylog vs. VMware Aria Operations for Logs report.

See our list of best Log Management vendors.

We monitor all Log Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.